Impulse-transmitter.



J. W. LATTIG.

IMPULSE TRANSMITTER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 16,

Patented June 25, 1912.

JACOB W. LATTIG, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOE. 'IO AMERICAN AUTOMATIC TELEPHONE 00., OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

IMPULSE-TRANSMITTER.

I Specification of. Letters Patent.

Patentedd'une 25, 1912.

Application filed May 16, 1907. Serial No. 374,028.

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, JAooe W. LATTIG, of

Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Impulse- Transmitters; and I do hereby declare the I following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the specification, and to the referonce-numerals marked thereon.

consists in certain improvements and combinations of parts all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawings: Figure lisaview in elevation of an apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view, shown with the casing broken away.- Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 3 -3 of Fig. 1. Fi s. 4 and 5 are sectional views taken on the ines 4 -4 and 5"-5", respectively, of Fig. 3. Fig; 6 is a detail view of the, retarding deyices. Fig. 7 is alsimilar View illustrating the adjustment of one of the contact fingers taken on the line 7"7? of Fig. 4, and Fig.

8 is a detail sectional View showing the construction of the circuit controlling member.

Similar reference numerals in the several figures indicate similar parts.

a An impulse transmitter constructed in accordance with the present invention comprises generally an indicator or setting member which maybe operated manually .to travel a predetermined distance when released and-a member actuated by suitable driving devices, impelled. during the return of the indicator to its initial position to rotate such member to open and close an electnc circuit a given number of times, corresponding to the distance through which the indicator is permitted to travel.

The operating parts of the apparatus, shown as the preferred embodiment of the invention, are arranged within a cylindrical casing 1 and are mounted upon a frame comprising a back plate 2 and a front plate 3, said plates being held in spaced relation by posts 4, struck up by means of dies from the back plate, which have inwardly turned extremities receiving the screws 5, passing through apertures in the plate 3. The apparatus is adapted to be attached to a suitable support by screws 6 extending through perforations in the back plate in alinement with notches or recesses 7, in the front plate, which permit access to the heads of the screws, as shown in Fig. 4. Projecting rearwardl-y from the back plate are small spacing lugs 8 designed to separate the frame a short distance from the support, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. V

Journaled centrally on the frame is a driving shaft 9 towhich is connected one end of a spring 10, arranged within a casing 11 to which its outer end is attached, said casing havin an outwardly flaring bottom edge 12 resting against the outer face of the plate 3 and centered thereon by a rin 13 within which it is held in adjusted position by screws 14, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, By this arrangement the 'tensions of the spring maybe readily adjusted by rotating the casing in one direction or the other. On the inner end of the shaft 9 is a laterally projecting finger 15 cooperating with a projection 16 on the plate 2 to limit the rotary movement of the shaft in the direction in which it is impelled by the tension imparted to the Spring'lO, when the devices which ordinarily limit the rotation of the shaft 9 are detached therefrom.

The shaft 9 constitutes a driving element and at one side of the latter is a driven element, or arbor 17, carrying at its end a circuit controlling member 18, composed of conductive and non-conductive portions, as will be further described, with which cooperate the springs or wipers 19 and 20, supported in holders 21 and 22, of insulating material, secured to outwardly extending lugs on the plate 3, said wipers forming the terminals of conductors 19 and 2-0, as shown in Fig. 4:. The driven arbor is connected by a suitable train of gearing whereby its speed of rotation is increased relatively to that of the driving shaft so that the movement of the latterthrough a comparatively small angle will cause a complete rotation of the member 18 to both open and close the circuit between the fingers or wipers 19 and 20.

'To'insure the arresting of both the member and indicator in their normal positions these parts are arranged to cooperate, the former constituting a stop forlimiting the movement of the latter to insure the indicator being arrested in its initial position after each operation, while the indicator itself, when returned to its position of rest, serves tolock the circuit controlling member in its proper position relatively to the wipers 19 and 20. e

In the present instance, the indicator is shown a's a disk 23 which is seated on a hub 24 secured to the driving shaft 9 and'held I against rotation thereon b means of a lug or projection 25 extending mto a slot formed in said hub. The indicator is removably attached to the shaft bya thumb nut 26 and a spring washer 27. On the rear face of the indicator is a stop pin 28 which, when the indicator is in'its normal position, engages the member 18 to limit the rotary movement of thedriving shaft 9 in one direction. Owing to the smallness of the' parts, the rapidity with which they operate and the looseness which it is desirable to provide in fitting them to both reduce their cost 'of manufacture and the labor in assembling them, it is preferable to provide the circuit con-- trolling member 18 with a cam shaped projection 29, having an operating face arranged relatively to the line of division between the conducting and non-conducting portions of said member, which is so shaped that in case the latter is overthrown beyond its proper starting position, it will be engaged by the stop pin 28 to retract the member 18 a partial rotation, thus insuring the circuit between the two wipers 19- and 20 being closed and thus obviate any inaci'curacy in the operation ofthe device in case there is undue play,'o'r back'lash,in the train of driving gears due'to wear of the parts or other causes.

In order to conveniently operate the disk '23 to despatch.a desired predeterminednumber of impulses'of' current, the indicator or setting member is provided upon its face with a plurality of -'circumferentially arranged apertures-which are spaced equidis-. tantly.'and may benumbered consecutively,

as indicated i1 i Fig.'1,--or'pr0vided with other, suitable index characters. Cooperating with these apertures is a handle piece Fig. 3, in position to cooperate with a 'stationary stop' 33, projecting outwardly from the plate 3, which is arranged relatively to the driven arbor 17 and the member 18 thereon to arrest the movement of the in-. dicator or setting device, when the latter is set manually by rotating it in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1. This movement'of the indicator carries the stop 28 a suflicient distance away from the member 18 to permit the latter to be rotated the desired number of times before the disk shall have been returned to its normal position by the spring .10; For instance, if the pin 30 should be inserted inthe aperture bearing the index 1 and the indicator 23- moved in the direction indicated by the arrow, the angle of movement thereof would 32 of the pin with the stop 33, and when released by the operator the train of gearing would cause the member 18 to make exactly fifty complete revolutions during the retro grade movement of the setting member 23.

The driving connections between the shafts 9 and 17 comprise the gear wheel 33, journaled loosely on the shaft 9, which cooperates with the, inion 34 on the arbor 35, also carrying t e gear wheel 36, coiipcrating with the pinion 37 onthe arbor 38. The latter also carries the gear wheel 39 meshing with th pinion 40, on the driven shaft 17 In order to permit the free rotation of the driving shaft 9 in one direction during the movement of the indicator or setting member into an operative position, a ratchet connection is arranged between it and the gear wheel 33, comprising the tooth disk 41, secured rigidly to-said shaft, with j which cooperates the spring pawl 42-carried on the gear wheel33. The speed of rotation of the driven shaft is made constant by a governor comprising loosely pivoted friction members 43, carried on a disk-44 connectedto the shaft, which are thrown outwardly by centrifugal force into engagement with the annular wall of a casing 45 attached to the, rear plate 2, as shown in Figs. 3 and 6. v

-1. The circuit controllingimemben may be made in any desired manner, but the form which it is preferable to employ is the one illustrated in detail in Fig.8 comprismg two fr'us'to-cylindrical portions 46 -and47,

the toriner ofi metal and the latter of insulating material, both of which are perforated and are fitted tightly to a sleeve of insulating material 48 threaded on the arbor 17 and locked thereon by the cam plate 29. This arrangement provides a diagonal line of separation between the conductive and non-conductive portions of the member 18 permitting the contact springs or wipers 19 and 20 to engage therewith at all times, theportion 16. To facilitate this adjustment the wiper 20 is provided with an elongated aperture 49 through which one of the binding screws 50, on its holder 22, passes. This feature of varying the length of time a circuit is opened independently of the rotation of the armature is particularly advantageous when the device is employed in corn nection with other apparatus having devices, such as electro-magnets, which are energized and deenergized by the opening and closing of their circuits, as itpermits the impulse periods to be regulated to accommodate magnets whose magnetic permeability varies. i

The frame plates 2 and 3 are preferably made circular in form and slightly smaller in diameter thanthe indicator disk 23 to permit the outer edge of the cylindrical shell or casing 1 to lie beneath the latter. The casing .1 is provided with inwardly project ing curved shoulders 51 situated in rear of the plate 3 and at a slight angle thereto, so that when rotated thereon the casing will be moved rearwardly into engagement with the face of the support to which the apparatus is connected. In order to permit the casing to be removed, when the indicator 23 has been detached by the removal of the nut 26, the plate 3 is provided with suitable I notches 52 in its periphery with which the shoulders 51 may register, this manner of attachment permitting ready inspection of operating parts oft-he mechanism.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an impulse transmitter, the combination with circuit terminals, a movable controller cooperating with them, each complete movement of which successively breaks and makes an electric circuit leading through the erated a predetermined number of times, a stop on said device engaging the controller to limit the movement of the device in one direction and means for restoring the latter to its normal position after each operation. 2. In an impulse transmitter, the combination with circuit terminals and a movable controller cooperating with them, each complete movement of which successively breaks and makes an electric circuit leading through the terminals, of a setting device adjustably supported and movable relatively to the controller for governing its operation for a predetermined number of movements, cooperating stops on the controller and setting-devices for arresting both of said parts in their normal positions and mechanism for operating the controller and restoring the setting device.

3. In an impulse transmitter, the combination with circuit terminals and a revoluble controller for making and breaking a circuit leading through them once for each complete rotation, of a setting device movable relatively to the controller and capable of being adjusted in various. positions to cause the controller to be rotated one or more I 4. In an impulse transmitter, the combination with the circuit terminals and a movable controller cooperating with'said terminals to interrupt an electric circuit leading through said terminals, of an operating mechanism together with means for setting said operating mechanism to varying positions, means for returning said mechanism to initial osition, means for connecting said contro ler with said operating mechanism during the return movement thereof, and cooperating stops movable with said controller and operating mechanism respectively for arresting said operating mecha n-ism in its initial position. 7

5. In an impulse transmitten'the combi nation with the circuit terminals and a revoluble controller for interrupting a circuit leading through said terminals, of an operating mechanism, together with means for setting said mechanism at varying positions, said operating mechanism being movable relatively to the controller in one direction of movement but adapted to be operatively shaft, a driven arbor and a controller on the latter cooperating with the terminals for interrupting a circuit leading through the same, an operating mechanism adapted to be set to varying positions, together with means for returning the same to initial position, said operating mechanism being movable with respect to said arbor while being set and adapted to be operatively connected therewith upon its return movement to rotate said controller varying distances, a rotatable stop movable with the controller, and a second stop movable with the operating mechanism, saidstops cooperating with each other to arrest the operating mechanism in its initial position. p v

7 In an impulse transmitter, the combination with circuit terminals, a driving shaft, a driven arbor and a controller on the latter cooperating with the terminals for interrupting a circuit leading through them, of a stop ,on the controller, a setting device attached to the driving shaft '00- operating with the controller stop and limited in its movement in one direction thereby, a handle piece adapted to cooperate with the setting device at various points for rotating it in the opposite direction, a relativelystationary stop cooperating with the handle piece and driving devices between the shaft and arbor.

8. In an impulse transmitter, the combination with circuit terminals, a driving shaft, a driven arbor and a controller, cooperating with said terminals comprising a conductive portion, a setting device on the shaft and a stop on the arbor cooperating therewith to limit the movement of the setting device in one direction and arrest the controller, said stop being arranged relatively to the conductive portion of the con-- troller for locking it'in its initial position after each movement, means for rotating the driving shaftwhich cooperates with the controller stop to limit the movement of the shaft in one direction, a motor spring whichis placed under tension by the rotation of the shaft inthe opposite direction and devices actuated by the spring for driving the arbor.

9. In an impulse transmitter, the combination with circuit terminals, one of which is adjustable, of a' movable controller cooperating with the terminals for interrupting'a circuit leading through th'em compris- 10. In an impulse transmitter, the combination with circuit terminals, of a revoluble controller-comprising a conductive portion adapted to cooperate with said terminals to alternately make and break a ciring a conductive portion having an edge" 'cuit leading through them, said portion having an edge cooperating with one of the terminals and arranged at an angle to its axis of rotation and means for rotating the controller.

11. In an impulse transmitter, the coinbination witha frame, a drivingshaft and an arbor journaled thereon, circuit terminals located on the front of the frame and a controller mounted on the arbor and cooperating with the terminalsfor interrupting a circuit leading through them, of a plate detachably mounted on the driving shaft and covering the underlying parts of the instrument: and driving connections between the shaft and arbor. J v

12. In an impulse transmitter, the combination with a frame, adriving shaft projecting outwardly therefrom and an arbor also journaled on the frame, circuit terminals located on the front of the frame and a controller mounted on the arbor and cooperating with the terminals for interrupting a circuit leading through them, of a 'drlving connection between the shaft and arbor, a motor spring connected to the shaft and means arranged on the front :of the frame for adjusting the' tension of the spring and a face plate for revolving the shaft which is detachably connected thereto and covers the underlying parts of the instrument.

13. In animpulse transmitter, the combination with a frame, a driving shaft projectin outwardly therefrom and an arbor also ournaled on the frame, circuit terminals located on the front of the frame and a controller mounted on the arbor and cooperating with the terminals for interrupting a circuit leading through them, of driving connections between the shaft and arbor," a motor springconnected to the shaft, a casing for the spring which is also connected thereto and is adjustably'mounted on the front of the casing, a cover plate for the aforementioned parts detachably connected? to the shaft and means separate from the cover. plate for limiting the movement of the shaft under the tension of the spring when the cover plate is removed.

14:. In an instrument of the character-described, the combination with a frame adapted to be secured to a suitable support comprising a circular portion, of'a casing surrounding the latter having oneedge adapted to rest upon the support and interlocking shoulders on the casing and frame which arecapable of detachment by a rojournaled centrally on the frame, of a eytachably connected to the driving shaft and lindrical casing surrounding the latter, indriving connectionsbetween the latter and terlocking connections, between the casing the controller.

and frame which are capable of disengage- JACOB W. LATTIG. 5 ment by a rotary movement of one of the Witnesses:

parts relatively to the other, a cover plate H. H. SIMMs,

overlapping the rim of the casing and de- RUSSELL B. GRIFFITH. 

